Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Paperback, 2016

Call number

153.3 GIL

Collection

Publication

Riverhead Books (2016), Edition: Reprint, 304 pages

Description

From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you've dreamed of. Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member mdoris
Elizabeth Gilbert is an interesting writer with lots of personality and opinions. She had huge and early international success with the book Eat, Pray, Love. She had such a tremendous following with this book that she was almost in the "guru" category! Would it be impolite of me to say that I was
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not a fan!

She writes fiction (novels, short stories) and non fiction. I loved her book The Signature of all Things, a novel. In this book, Big Magic Gilbert is in the boxing ring with "non creativity" as her opponent. She is punching all the way for "creativity" and puts up some very good aruguments. The book is written in quite a chatty way but does tune you into her points of view which, when the book is finished, makes you a convert. Okay now what area will I choose to bloom in? Help Liz!

I liked this book!
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LibraryThing member ShadowBarbara
Advice about living and producing creative work. Excellent book that made me laugh. She has a great way of looking at life and encourages hard work and no drama while enjoying it and not taking it too seriously. Loved this book.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This is what I needed to read right now. That my creativity is a legitimate aspect of me that I need to indulge and that maybe it will lead to fame and fortune but maybe it won't and either way it should be indulged and that without it I'm cheating myself. It also reminds me that most of the
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problems exist between keyboard and chair. This was the hug and kick in the pants I needed and while it may not be for everyone it did speak to me.

Yes, much of what is said is said elsewhere and sometimes that elsewhere may resonate better with other people but this resonated with me, I listened to the podcast and well and it is a good supplement to the book. Yes she name-drops, but yes she knows some famous people, and some of the stories wouldn't have as much mental impact to many people if they were from no-name people. Yes, some of what she says is eye-wateringly obvious but sometimes you need to hear someone else tell you these things to make them sink in and she writes in a very chatty way, almost as if she's talking to you.

And yes, some of her ideas, like the idea that inspiration wanders around looking for someone, is questionable, but it's a harmless belief.

It was what I needed to read.
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LibraryThing member St.CroixSue
This is Gilbert at her best. It is a brilliant work describing the creative process with tips and techniques used by her and other creative types throughout history. She tells a couple of very memorable stories drawn from her life as a writer.
LibraryThing member debnance
Big Magic will slay every silly illusion you have about creativity and well done, I say....It's about time creativity was looked at clearly and boldly instead of from bowed eyes, lying prone at its feet.
LibraryThing member Lilac_Lily01
This is a positively inspiring book that I enjoyed reading.One key takeaway for me was that it is important not to expect your craft/art to financially support you. This is too big of a burden and will kill your creativity like nothing else. So whatever your artform may be do it because you love it
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and do it with passion, but don't expect a financial payoff from it.
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LibraryThing member KimHooperWrites
I dog-eared A LOT of pages in this book. As a writer, I found the advice very on-point. There weren't any grand, new ideas in this book, but it was a great refresher and reminder of why I write. I'm sure it would be relevant to others in the arts, too.
LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt
I don't know. There were some motivating stories and ideas, but a great deal of it seemed to be random thoughts. One part definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Gilbert says she wishes that Harper Lee had written more after To Kill a Mockingbird. I do, too! But then she goes on to say she'd have
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settled for five "cheap and easy books in a row" including "a children's story." Full disclosure. I write for adults but I have also written 15 children's books. There is nothing EASY about it. In many ways, it's much more difficult than writing for adults. That definitely soured the rest of the book for me. However, I do think that those just getting into a creative field will find a bit of inspiration within the pages. Not a total hit, but not a total loss.
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LibraryThing member Desirichter
In this part memoir, part "my take on creativity," Eat, Pray, Love author, Liz Gilbert unabashedly offers her views about the creative process and how to unlock from the fear that often accompanies creating. In Gilbert's views, ideas are sentient. They come knocking on the door of our minds and
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"ask" to be nurtured, cared for, and brought to fruition. While I don't agree with this idea in the slightest, I do think that the upshot of the viewpoint leads people to work with rather than against the creative process. What I mean is this: Even if I don't think that ideas have, well . . . ideas, I do think that ideas are like newborns. If we censor them too soon, the result is the premature quashing of the creative venture.

Ideas do indeed need to be tended to, and Gilbert advocates for an industriousness in this process that is not surprising, given the monumental success of her memoir and continued creative output. Gilbert's approach leads to longer industrious hours in the studio, not an excuse to be lazy. By placing ideas outside of herself, Gilbert frees authors, dancers, ice skaters, creatives of all types to surrender to the process with gusto. It feels like we are partnering with ideas rather than having them all be so damn personal that our self-worth gets wrapped up in their failure or success.

As for the fear part of the subtitle, Gilbert makes a compelling argument that fear is one of the most boring, universal attributes that humans possess. She doesn't argue that fear is useless, but that fear misapplied to the creative process does nothing but stopper our genius. Fear, Gilbert reminds is what we have in common with tadpoles; creativity is what sets apart higher animals, so let's indulge it. Gilbert doesn't try to banish fear completely. What she does is tell it, "You can have a seat on the bus. You can even speak up, but under no circumstance will you be allowed to drive." I like that approach. It seems healthy to recognize fear but not to live by it, creatively or otherwise.

Gilbert makes her points by weaving memoir-esque anecdotes throughout the work, praising her mother's "I'm not having it little Liz fraidy cat" mindset and reminding readers that creativity doesn't have to pay the bills. In fact, asking creative work be the work that puts food on the table may indeed be asking too much of it. Gilbert herself didn't quit her day job as a waitress even after she was published. She didn't want to put the burden of providing on her writing for fear (ironically) that doing so would rob her of her creative joy.

Gilbert's book is all about passion and playfulness in the creative process. And I love it even if some of her ideas can seem a little pie in the sky. For Gilbert, creative work is joy embodied. I find her approach refreshing. She makes me want to try new things even if I'm REALLY bad at them. Her book helps me tell my inner critic to hush up, and I like that. I need that. Big Magic that. :)
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LibraryThing member willszal
“Big Magic,” a book about inspired creativity: what could be more exciting! I love these topics. But to me, this book fell long short. As I read on, the title became a travesty.

Our author is an atheist, an agnostic. She doesn’t seem to have any connection to a greater purpose. She isn’t
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“spiritual,” in the sense that she isn’t in relationship with Gaia.

At the conclusion, she states that Big Magic is a series of paradoxes. I would agree with this, but I don’t think that she has identified them. Instead, she has collected a series of incoherent phenomena, and instead of finding a unify thread, presents them in a logic full of holes.

For example, if humans have been making art for four times longer than creating even the most simplistic form of economy [agriculture], which do you think is more important? Our author references these facts, citing the prehistoric origins of art, and then goes on to claim that art is trivial.

Underlying her entire narrative is a failure to recognize that she is part of a paradigm, and the dominant paradigm at that. Not once does she stop to question, or even notice, the rules of this paradigm. Why isn’t that people need to earn a living? Why is it that we value lawyers and doctors a magnitude more than we value teachers and farmers? Why is it that the economy is full of meaningless work, often bureaucratic or financial, what David Graeber refers to as “bullshit jobs.” Maybe art and artistry makes more sense when you’re not Hillary Clinton.

As a child, our author was paralyzed with fear. She claims that her mother helped her grow out of this fear. But maybe the only way she could do so is by making believe her art isn’t of consequence.

What if art is the most important thing that people can do with their lives? What if artists are the storytellers that bring coherence to this crazy world that we live in?

It seems that many misunderstand Maslow’s Hierarchy. Sure, if you’re starving, you probably won’t be able to be self actualizing. But if you don’t have self-actualization in your sights, you’ll give up right then and die. Depression and suicide are often a result of lack of relationship with the top of the hierarchy. But no matter how bad physical conditions get, higher aims are what keep the amazing human drive going.

Also, aren’t some of the biggest innovations in business and government art? Although it may sound cliche, wouldn’t you call Steve Jobs creative, an artist? What about the Founding Fathers? Artistry is a hallmark of generativity.

In conclusion, although our author tells a number of good stories in this book, and is probably a pretty good writer, I’m fundamentally apposed to her thesis: that art is worthless.
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LibraryThing member porch_reader
Elizabeth Gilbert encourages us all to live creatively - to write, to draw, to create something. She separates the idea of creating from the idea of making a living through your art. Instead, she encourages everyone to create for the pure joy of it. There is a little advice about how to live a
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create life in this book, but even more, this book highlights the pure intrinsic motivation that can be found in creating.
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LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Absolutely wild about this book. Liz Gilbert speaks on creativity and on life and on creating, engaging in, or connecting with "big magic" in your life. Big magic occurs when we dedicate ourselves to our creativity without expectation - to create for the sake of creation and nothing else. Chock
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full of wisdom, her words rang absolutely true for me.
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LibraryThing member readingover50
This was written in a very conversational style that I liked. I enjoyed learning about her life and struggles as a writer. This book seems like a must read for people who want to become a writer. The message I took away from it was if you really want something, you need to work hard and don't let
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any failures get you down. Keep on trying.
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LibraryThing member PlanCultivateCreate
Lots of good takeaways from this book. Definitely worth the read, if only to start reflecting on creativity and its presence in your life. But of course, to a fiercely creative soul, it offers encouragement, permission to wonder, and a reframing of the notion of the tortured artist. And so much
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more...
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LibraryThing member SESchend
May not be for everybody but it was exactly what I needed right now for inspiration & motivation
LibraryThing member jepeters333
Gilbert digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective on creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address
Show More
challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
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LibraryThing member whybehave2002
Let me just say right up front that I love reading Elizabeth Gilbert's books. She always seems to pour her heart out. She makes me feel unjudged and that is big magic. She always lets you know that it's okay to be you and to settle in and get comfortable with being you. This book is no exception.
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Lots of great thoughts to take away from it. And bonus if you listen because her voice gives the words a turbo shot of sincerity.
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LibraryThing member RajivC
I am tossing about whether to give the book three stars, or four.

3.5 is what I would possibly give

On the whole, it is a good book, with lots of practical wisdom packed inside. It took me going through one third of the book before it started to appeal to me.

There are times when I wonder if she is
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for real, and at other times, I stumble upon something very helpful

For me, there is this unevenness about the book, which made it a bit of a challenging read.

Yet, there is enough in it for me to say that this is a good book.
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LibraryThing member Deesirings
I don't think I can write a review that will do this justice but it just seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear right now. Parts of the book are really about creative living (i.e. living as a creator of things, aka, as an artist) whereas in many instances this book could have the word
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"creative" omitted from its subtitle as it is simply about living without fear. Or perhaps not strictly without fear as is explained from the get-go: fear is there; we acknowledge its presence and let it come for the ride but we do not let it drive or even twiddle or fiddle with any knobs. Simply wonderful!
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LibraryThing member Catherine_GV
This is hands-down my favorite writing craft book!

It's marvelous and, yes, magical. Gilbert not only provides deep insight into being an author, but into being any creative, too.

She packs it with anecdotes, thoughts and mindsets to try out. It's not your usual writing craft book... It's more about
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creativity itself, how to find it and most of all: how to embrace it with all your might!

I swear to God and Nature I will forever recommend it to other creatives.

P.S.: I lent it to my mom and it's genuinely helping her in getting a prototype ready for her business she wishes to launch. :) Isn't that amazing?! This has to be the best example of how this book, Big Magic, is tapping deep into our potential and changing our way of thinking for the best.

I would genuinely give this book six stars and more (if not ten!), but we'll have to make do with five.

Seriously, if you're a creative (or have any idea of anything to make), read this!
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LibraryThing member DebraParmley
One of my best friends loaned me this book and I kept it far too long and read it twice before giving it back to her.
LibraryThing member cavernism
I (sort of) get the backlash about Elizabeth Gilbert and her privilege. But both Eat, Pray, Love and this book found me at just the right times in my life, and the way she writes about creativity and spirituality always makes me feel a bit lighter. I needed this book, because I've started weighing
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down my creative endeavors with "shoulds." I was making projects and exercises for myself because I should be doing this and that, or I need to be at this level of expertise by this stage of my life. Instead of trudging to (or straight up avoiding) my work out of fear, this book was a life-saving reminder that I do creative things because it brings me joy, and that when I follow threads of curiosity and surrender myself to the present moment, it can be electric. Gilbert mostly talks about writing, but her ideas apply to any art form.
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LibraryThing member AmberMcWilliams
A wonderfully direct and accessible book about putting aside fear and "just doing it" in creative practice. It deals with fear, disbelief, lack of trust and all the usual hampering things...
LibraryThing member maryzee
Good message, a few too many “dear ones”
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Is it mere coincidence that BIG is synonymous with FAT and that MAGIC is one of those oblique words difficult to put your finger on, like CHANCE? Because I think that's a better title for this book: Fat Chance. That's the message here: you're gonna fail, you big loser! Where's the big magic in
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that?

I get it, some artists are confused about the outcomes or reasons for pursuing creative ventures. It's true, most of us are going to fail and fail again. Many of us will eventually give up trying. Gilbert's aim here seems to be getting people to think differently about art, to force them to realize that the business sucks and the process isn't always easy, but we should all be happy because we're like children, finger painting our hearts out.

Somehow the fact that this advice comes from someone whose net worth is $25 million doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

The very fact I read this book is a testament to Gilbert's brilliance. It was her 2009 TED Talk that turned me onto the author, a writer I had written off previously solely because of her wild success. Not surprisingly, it is Gilbert's wonderful, well-presented argument about the elusive genius that opens up Big Magic. The message in these chapters is more inspirational: we all have creativity; relax, it's not your fault if your genius eludes you.

But the rest of the book gets lost in Gilbert rubbing our faces in her success. I know it's not easy, she seems to be saying, creativity won't pay the bills, so just quit thinking about it as a occupation and think of it more as finger painting!

There's truth there, no doubt. But Gilbert seems too desirous of proving her point by stretching truths. She points out how creative occupations are inherently worthless, the least valuable occupation in society. Objectively, perhaps that roofer's role in society can be more easily quantifiable, but to ignore the artist's role in shaping change and eliciting awe, to call art “arguably useless,” seems rather narrow-minded. (What would your muses think, Liz?) Name one roofer from history whose work was more meaningful than Michelangelo's ceiling. Also, Gilbert belittles creative higher education by smashing the MFA in writing, declaring it a fruitless activity. To prove her point, she highlights that no American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature had ever earned an MFA. Point proven, well done. Except that half of the winners of the Nobel predated the existence of the MFA. Those who followed were entirely established before the MFA really gained momentum in the writing community. Likewise, the Internet is rather useless because Buddha never surfed the web, and Jesus declared disdain for Starbucks by having never consumed a cup of joe.

In the end, I think there are definitely glimmers of brilliance in this book and perhaps it is a great book for those who are kidding themselves about the arts. Me? I'm prepared for the toughness. I expect rejection. I'm still here because I love doing it. I whine from time to time, but I don't plan on quitting; I have no backup. Perhaps I should enjoy my occupation more, but being told I'm a failure isn't exactly going to make me jump for joy. Gilbert's insight, while largely accurate, is salt on an open wound for those of us who know it sucks. And I guess the message of Big Magic is that it will continue to suck, even when one of my books takes off and is made into a well-financed motion picture. Fat Chance.
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Awards

Pages

304

ISBN

1594634726 / 9781594634727
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